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Our Genealogy Helper

Introduction ...

We have a couple of goals for our Gazetteer:

  • That it be a tool which helps us with planning our trips.
  • We're trying to shape our Gazetteer as a tool to help us understand the community in which our ancestors lived, the community that was part of their daily lives.
  • On our trips, we try to visit those places where our ancestors left their footprints.

By learning about Runaway Bay (and the surrounding area) during the time that our ancestors lived, we hope to have a better understanding of both their community and its relationship to their lifes. We hope that this tool helps to give us an insight into their world.

As we add data and organize our Gazetteer to help with our family research, we will be adding to this our Genealogical Helper for Runaway Bay. While we don't have information that is specific to any given person or family, we intend to expand our understanding about where and how people lived.

Neighboring Counties ...

When searching for family records, we have frequently made the mistake of not checking the neighboring counties.

For example, we have great-grandparents who lived in the southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals were in the next county to the west. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the south.

So when searching for records, we had our best success by looking in neighboring counties instead of the county in which they lived:  their home county contained property and probate records; the county to the west contained birth and death records; the county to the south contained their burial records. If we hadn't included the neighboring counties, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.

If you're in a similar situation, we hope that the following information helps.

Runaway Bay is located in Wise County.

To see how the shape of Texas' counties may have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Wise County: Cooke, Denton, Jack, Montague, Parker & Tarrant.

Below are the counties that are near Runaway Bay. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Runaway Bay:

  • Wise County     (The home county of Runaway Bay)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Runaway Bay, with the one closest to Runaway Bay listed first.
    • Lake Bridgeport
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Lake Bridgeport is located in Wise County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Bridgeport
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 405 people
    • Bridgeport
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Boonsville
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Boonsville is located in Wise County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boonsville
    • Chico
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Paradise
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Decatur
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Park Springs
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Park Springs is located in Wise County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Park Springs
    • Alvord
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Boyd
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Herman
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Herman is located in Wise County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Herman
    • Aurora
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Briar
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Briar is located in Wise County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Briar
  • Clay County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Runaway Bay, with the one closest to Runaway Bay listed first.
    • Newport
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Newport is located in Clay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newport
    • Shannon
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Shannon is located in Clay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shannon
  • Denton County
    • Stony
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Stony is located in Denton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stony
  • Jack County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Runaway Bay, with the one closest to Runaway Bay listed first.
    • Wizard Wells
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Wizard Wells is located in Jack County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wizard Wells
    • Westbrook
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Westbrook is located in Jack County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westbrook
    • Gibtown
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Gibtown is located in Jack County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gibtown
    • Perrin
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Jacksboro
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Postoak
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Postoak is located in Jack County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Postoak
    • Bob Town
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Bob Town is located in Jack County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bob Town
    • Bryson
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
    • Jermyn
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Montague County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Runaway Bay, with the one closest to Runaway Bay listed first.
    • Sunset
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Fruitland
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Fruitland is located in Montague County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fruitland
    • New Harp
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • New Harp is located in Montague County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Harp
    • Bowie
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Bowie is located in Montague County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bowie
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,140 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bowie <1>
    • Salona
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Salona is located in Montague County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salona
    • Forestburg
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Palo Pinto County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Runaway Bay, with the one closest to Runaway Bay listed first.
    • Salesville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Salesville is located in Palo Pinto County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salesville
    • Wolters Village
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Wolters Village is located in Palo Pinto County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wolters Village
    • Graford
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Mineral Wells
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Parker County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Runaway Bay, with the one closest to Runaway Bay listed first.
    • Agnes
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Agnes is located in Parker County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Agnes
    • Poolville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Goshen
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Goshen is located in Parker County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goshen
    • Whitt
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Springtown
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Adell
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Adell is located in Parker County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adell
    • Carter
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Carter is located in Parker County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carter
    • Authon
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Authon is located in Parker County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Authon
    • Peaster
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Reno
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Reno is located in Parker County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reno
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,473 people
    • Lemley
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Lemley is located in Parker County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lemley
    • Sanctuary
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Sanctuary is located in Parker County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sanctuary
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 327 people
  • Tarrant County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Runaway Bay, with the one closest to Runaway Bay listed first.
    • Pecan Acres
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Pecan Acres is located in Tarrant County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pecan Acres
    • Pelican Bay
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Pelican Bay is located in Tarrant County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pelican Bay
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,100 people

For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Runaway Bay, see our County-by-County Page for Runaway Bay.

Cemeteries Near Runaway Bay ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Runaway Bay.

This is a new section and is likely to have errors. If you find an error, such as a missing cemetery or we have the wrong name, please let us know. If you know of them, we would also appreciate learning about previous or alternate names.

Although we don't have the information ourselves, if you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our list of websites on our Genealogy Helper Page for Runaway Bay - one of the links might be able to help.

If not found below, our Cemetery List for Runaway Bay covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Runaway Bay, with the one closest to Runaway Bay listed first.

  • Hyde Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
  • McDaniel Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
  • Willow Point Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Morrow Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • East Mound Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Oldtown Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Mexican Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Kilby Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Green Elm Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Wizard Wells Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Westbrook Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Fairview Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (123 more) ...
    • Gilley Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Bethel Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Grandview Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)

Nearby Communities in 1895 ...

We've built the following list with information that came from an Atlas published by Rand McNally in 1895. The Atlas had details such as the population of the community (which appears to have come from the 1890 Census) and whether there was a post office and/or railroad service available. We also indicate if the community no longer exists and is now historic.<4>

While we didn't find Runaway Bay in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Runaway Bay.

These communities are listed based on their distance from Runaway Bay, with the one closest to Runaway Bay listed first.

  • Willow Point
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Willow Point is located in Wise County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willow Point
  • Vineyard
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Vineyard is located in Jack County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vineyard
  • Boonsville
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Boonsville is located in Wise County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boonsville
  • Bridgeport
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Joplin
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Joplin is located in Jack County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Joplin
  • Chico
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Paradise
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
  • Cottondale
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Cottondale is located in Wise County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cottondale
  • Crafton
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Crafton is located in Wise County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crafton
  • Poolville
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
  • Agnes
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Agnes is located in Parker County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Agnes
  • Decatur
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Alvord
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Jacksboro
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Whitt
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)

We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Runaway Bay. See our List of 1890's Communities around Runaway Bay.

Newspapers Published in Runaway Bay ...

An ongoing effort between the Library of Congress and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has resulted in the National Digital Newspaper Program (NDNP).

To share their results, the partnership has created the Chronicling America website. The goal of this partnership is to assemble a database about the current and historic newspapers of the United States. This includes a growing collection of scanned images from selected papers. All of it available to the public on their website.

Using information that we've taken from the Chronicling America website, we've identified 64 newspapers that have been published in the area around Runaway Bay.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Runaway Bay, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<2>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Runaway Bay.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first visit the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These professional and volunteer websites offer the information directly or else point to where you can find it. Their information is open to everyone.

To help you get started, the following links will take you to the pages that are relevant to Runaway Bay:

Footnotes ...

<1>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<2>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Runaway Bay) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<3>The Find-a-Grave website is an excellent research tool with information about a cemetery's location and interments. They also offer a forum for their members which can provide additional help. More information about Find-a-Grave can be found on their website: findagrave.com.
<4>We use the term 'Historic' broadly and it generally means that the community no longer exists. However, it can also mean that the community might still exist, but was significantly larger or had a more 'official' existence in the past than it does now. Unfortunately our sources of data have proven to be unreliable. If you can provide us with more specific information about Runaway Bay, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.